Scientists at the University of Ulster are undertaking groundbreaking DNA research, which could help in the treatment and prevention of diseases.

Researchers from the School of Biomedical Sciences are examining the atomic structures of DNA knots in order to devise new treatments for a number of diseases that include cancer.

They have been examining these architectures using a method called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Their work is published in the latest edition of the prestigious science journal Angewandte Chemie.

Leading the research team is Dr Mateus Webba da Silva, a specialist in NMR spectroscopy from the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute.

He said: “The possibilities of this type of research can have far-reaching implications in two fronts. First, it offers new solutions to the treatment of diseases. Second, the ability to control the formation of these knots is fundamental to the engineering of future DNA devices that work within cells.”

DNA sometimes forms knots, which are known as G-quadruplexes and have been shown to appear in genes implicated in a number of diseases. One of the aims of this type of research is to find the cause behind, and offer solutions to, the best possible way of treating the diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s and stroke, to autism, wound healing and limb formation.

The work at Ulster is being carried out in conjunction with teams from the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences from Kyoto University in Japan, and the National Institute of Chemistry from Slovenia.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office, Department of Communication and Development
Tel: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk